Flushing drugs may contaminate water, and tossing them in the trash may not be any safer.

Don't keep them hanging around the house "just in case."

Don't Miss This

You probably don't worry about the leftover prescription pills in your medicine cabinet until you need more space. But this weekend, the Drug Enforcement Administration hopes you decide it’s time to dispose of them. Across the nation on Saturday, the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control is hosting its semi-annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day to provide a safe way for you to get rid of those extra drugs and keep your community safe.

Here’s what you need to know to participate.

Why should I get rid of my drugs?

So maybe you have some pain pills from the time your son got his wisdom teeth pulled five years ago, but you’re keeping them around just in case you pull something terribly and can’t get to the doctor right away. Even though you feel prepared, remember that prescription drugs expire, and taking them without a doctor’s direct supervision can result in all kinds of problems. “What were legitimately prescribed for real medical reasons can lead to accidental poisoning, overdoses, and sometimes abuse,” said Joseph Moses, a special agent for the DEA. “Pharmaceutical drugs, when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision, can be just as dangerous as heroin or cocaine.”

While taking an expired drug or an incorrect dose can be a problem, equally important is the rapid rise of prescription drug abuse in the United States. Prescription drugs caused more than 22,000 deaths in the United States in 2010, according to Douglas Throckmorton, MD, deputy center director for regulatory programs at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. More than half of people who abused prescription drugs obtained them from family and friends, Moses said.

How should I get rid of my drugs?

To combat the problem of old and potentially dangerous drugs hanging around the house, the DEA has been organizing National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days since 2006, hosting one every six months. Collection sites will be set up across the nation (find yours here), and will be open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 27. They take back any kind of drug, with the exception of liquids and syringes.

All drop-offs can be made completely anonymously, Moses said, adding that the DEA will not check to see who's giving away what. It's perfectly fine to obscure the names and identifying information on bottles, too, he said.

How do I get rid of my drugs if I miss Take-Back Day?

Maybe you’re busy, maybe you live rurally, or maybe you didn’t hear in time. If that’s the case, and you’re uncomfortable storing your drugs until the next Take-Back Day, the Environmental Protection Agency explains how you can get rid of your old drugs at home, as safely as possible. They don’t advise flushing them down the toilet unless the patient information tells you to do so, because too many flushed drugs could build up and contaminate the water supply. They also advise against just tossing them in the trash, since they could still be found and used. Instead, the EPA suggests mixing the pills in with an “undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds,” putting that in a container or sealable bag, and tossing it. Then, you should peel off or cover up any personal information on a prescription bottle and also throw that away.

There are a small number of very dangerous drugs that the Food and Drug Administration actually does advise be flushed directly down the toilet, which can be found here. These drugs are so uncommon that only flushing these should not impact the water.

Currently, legislation regarding prescription drugs bars organizations such as pharmacies from collecting unused drugs for proper disposal, but various government agencies are working to modify this. That way, instead of waiting, you could just give your unused prescriptions back to the same pharmacy you got them from in the first place.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about
your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make
choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.